East Hudson Valley News

The Dutchess County Transportation Council (DCTC) has concluded the initial phase of assessing the impact of climate change on transportation in Dutchess County, highlighting vulnerabilities to climate hazards such as flooding and landslides. In response, the council is now focusing on strategies to mitigate these impacts on transportation infrastructure and services.

On Wednesday, April 10 at noon, the DCTC will conduct a virtual public meeting to provide an update on the study. Mark Debald, the DCTC Transportation Program Administrator, expressed enthusiasm for this next phase, stating, "We are excited to begin this last step of and explore ways to make our transportation system more resilient." The meeting will offer the public insights into the vulnerabilities of the transportation system to climate hazards and an opportunity to discuss tools and strategies to address these vulnerabilities.

To participate in the meeting, registration is required through the provided link: bit.ly/RWFVirtualMtg2. The DCTC encourages individuals to visit ResilientWaysForward.com for further information and to access the latest reports, including a Climate Change Summary and Fact Sheet, as well as a Vulnerability Assessment Fact Sheet covering both system-level and asset-level analyses.

The Resilient Ways Forward study is part of Dutchess County's efforts to comprehend and tackle current and future environmental challenges. Beyond its focus on extreme weather impacts on transportation, the study's data and analysis also support the County's Natural Resource Inventory and Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Debald emphasized the importance of gathering feedback from the upcoming virtual meeting to shape the final adaptation strategies aimed at enhancing the transportation system's resilience. He stated, "Ultimately, we want to provide decision-makers and agencies with actionable tools and data to help prioritize how and where we can build resiliency."

Established as the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Dutchess County, the DCTC has been instrumental in facilitating comprehensive planning processes and federally supported transportation plans and projects in the region since 1982.